4.2 How Minerals Form



Vocabulary


solution- a combination in where one matter dissolves into another.
vein- a slim channel/slab of a mineral that is very different from the rocks around it.

Outline


  • Processes that form minerals
    • minerals can form through two ways
      • crystallization of melted materials
      • crystallization of materials dissolved in water
  • Minerals from Magma
    • when magma stays under surface
      • cools down slowly
    • slow cooling means big crystals
    • Magma closer to the surface forms smaller crystals
      • has less time to cool- less time to form crystals
  • Minerals from hot water solutions
    • hot water solution cools, elements/ compounds leave solution
    • underground, hot water solutions and metals often follow cracks in a rock
      • the metals crystallize into veins that look like streaks of chocolate and vanilla ice cream
  • Minerals formed by evaporation
    • thick deposits of halite formed over millions of years
      • ancient seas evaporated slowly
  • Where minerals are found
    • earth's crust is made up of common rock- forming minerals
      • also combined in different types of rocks
    • most valuable minerals are in/near eareas with volcanic activity or mountain building
      • example : gold deposidtes were found along Sierra Nevada mountains----

Diagram- Minerals from Hot Water Solutions


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